


Mononoke-hime

by kusunogatari



Series: Naruto OC x Canon Ship Week 2019 [7]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Princess Mononoke Fusion, Blood and Gore, Crossover, Death, F/M, Gen, Guns, Studio Ghibli
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-07
Updated: 2019-06-07
Packaged: 2020-05-28 16:22:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19397845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kusunogatari/pseuds/kusunogatari
Summary: Crossover of Naruto and Miyazaki's Mononoke-hime. Itachi, the cursed and banished prince, makes his way west in search of the truth behind the demon that attacked his people. Along the way, he meets an odd cast of characters...including a strange woman embroiled in the ways of the gods.





	Mononoke-hime

Three weeks. Three weeks since the attack of the demon boar on his village. Three weeks since its evil took hold of his arm, infecting his flesh with poisonous hatred. Three weeks since Uchiha Itachi was given a choice: stay with the remnants of his clan, and let the mark slowly devour him…or rise to meet the fate he’d been given. Journey west to seek what had turned a god into a demon.

As fixated as he has tried to remain on his goal, thoughts of home still cross his mind. The kind smile of his mother, the stern instruction of his father, and the adoring looks of his little brother. All left behind, never to be seen again: his hair is cut. He can never go home.

Besides…there’s no hope for him there. All he can do now is keep moving forward. Pray that, somewhere along this road, salvation may wait for him. And if not that…maybe a kind of peace before the end.

Taking the road at a walk atop his elk, Itachi stops as they round a bend, catching sight of a village. Smoke rises from thatched roofs, people running and screaming. Some kind of battle…? No…only one side seems to be armed.

Chest clenching, he watches in torn horror. He’s only one man - he can hardly save a village from an onslaught. But as he stares, more samurai approach from behind with a shout. Arrows whisking past his ears, he urges his mount to a run, drawing an arrow as he prepares to cut through the crowd.

But as the string pulls taut, the muscles of his afflicted arm quiver, trembling and writhing before releasing the draw. With a whistle, the bolt finds its mark…cleaving a man’s head from his shoulders.

Teeth grit as he grips his limb, panic begins to set in. _What’s happening to me…?!_

Shocked at his power, the remaining warriors let him pass, staring in fearful awe.

Not letting up his gallop for over a mile, the pair eventually slow. By now, the throbbing in his arm has settled to a dull buzz. Stopping at a stream, Itachi bathes the mark in the cool running water, noting the change in the blemish.

“…it’s growing.”

Their travel pace stays slow until reaching another village. This one, peaceful, bustles with people and business. Straw hat drawn over his head and kerchief over his face, Itachi ignores the strange looks he gets. It didn’t take him long to realize that he sticks out like a sore thumb. Pushed to the fringes of the empire, the last dredges of the Uchiha have been isolated - unchanged. His old-style attire and unusual mount have kept more eyes on him than he’d like.

Leading his elk as they traverse the streets, he stops at a stand to pick up a sack of rice - his provisions are running far lower than he’d like, and he still has miles left to go, destination not yet wholly known.

Lost in thought as the woman fetches his rice, he looks up as she hands it over, in turn giving her a small nugget from his pouch. “Will this suffice?”

Taking the gold, she squints before giving him a glower. “Does this look like money to you? Hand back that rice - unless you can pay, you’ll get nothing from me.”

“Now now, wait a moment.”

Both of them glance over, as well as the growing crowd. Stepping up on tall geta, a priest flashes a charming smile. “Mind if I look at that shiny pebble, ma’am?”

She scoffs. “Be my guest.”

Accepting the piece, he looks it over carefully. “…well, by the gods - this isn’t just a rock, it’s a gold nugget! Now, I’m no expert, but…” He seems to try to weigh it in his palm. “I’d say this would be worth not just one bag of rice, but three! Maybe even more!”

Eyeing the crowds as they gawk at the gold, Itachi’s instincts tell him to move. Rice in hand, he turns and makes to leave before a riot breaks out.

“Hey, hey! Wait -!”

Grabbing the priest’s wrist, the woman insists, “Don’t wander off with my gold!”

Remounting his elk, Itachi hears the priest run up behind him. “Where are you running off to, huh? We haven’t even introduced ourselves! Jiraiya, traveling priest. And don’t sweat the gold debacle - I was happy to help. Y’see, you helped stave off those samurai, and I happened to be caught in the middle of it. As I see it, it’s the least I could do to repay you.”

Glancing over, Itachi doesn’t reciprocate. Behind them, he can hear more footsteps.

“Yeah, we’re being followed,” Jiraiya murmurs. “Guess all that ruckus over the gold caught the wrong attention. They’ll try to kill and rob us in the night. How about we make them work for their catch, eh?” With surprising agility, the priest takes off at a dead run.

Not sure what to make of this, Itachi weighs his options before urging his mount to a gallop.

Behind, the small group of thugs slow to a stop.

The pair keep their pace for a good while, stopping in what look to be ruins. Tucking into a crevice, they set up a temporary camp. While he doesn’t trust this man…Itachi figures he might be useful company. So as Jiraiya works on a stew, he explains some - but not all - of his story. His name and exact location are left out…he reveals only his purpose for traveling. Maybe this rather…strange priest can help him narrow down his search.

“Well, you made it this far, and then lost the trail…it happens. Say you’re cursed, are you? Many people feel that way now. Violence is everywhere.” Jiraiya nods to their surroundings. “See these ruins? When I last came through here, it was a village. Then something wiped it out…plague, landslide, fire, flood…and now, it’s a ghost town. What I mean to say is, everyone dies. And there are angry ghosts everywhere you walk. They starved, they’re killed, they’re sick…and no one gives a damn. Here, give me your bowl - the stew’s done.”

Lost in thought, Itachi does as asked, only half listening as the priest rambles on. It’s not until he notes the bowl’s make that dark eyes flicker up, expression stoney.

“…ever heard of the Uchiha?” Jiraiya asks, a knowing look in his eyes. “It’s strange, but…you remind me of them, with your stone-headed arrows, and that elk you ride.”

Staying silent, Itachi simply eats his meal, wariness ringing like a bell in his chest.

“…of course, they were all killed five hundred years ago,” Jiraiya then adds, taking a bite of his own. Grinning as he goes for more, the priest assures him, “I won’t tell anyone who you are, kid. I’ve got much bigger problems on my plate.”

After a thoughtful pause, Itachi reaches into his pocket before withdrawing the iron ball that had been found in the demon’s body. “…have you ever seen anything like this in your travels, priest?”

Accepting it, Jiraiya gives it a once-over. “Hm…can’t say I have.”

“That was inside the boar. I’m convinced it’s what ultimately killed him…and what drove him to fall from kami to demon.”

The pair fall into silence, Jiraiya’s gaze far away as he thinks. “…you know, some say that far to the west from here, in the mountains…dwells an ancient god. The spirit of the forest. They claim that, in his woods, beasts are all giant, as they were when man was young. But it’s a dangerous place for humans - no one enters and leaves alive.”

Maintaining a blank facade, Itachi’s heart leaps. Giant animals…? Like the boar? Then…that must have been where he came from! If he can make it there…perhaps he’ll find what he’s looking for. It doesn’t matter if the woods are dangerous - he’s a dead man walking, anyway. If he fails…perhaps an obliging beast will be his end.

…that settles it, then.

Sleeping lightly, he rises before the priest, quietly packing up camp. From here…he needs to go on his own.

No one else is going to get hurt.

Leading his elk from their camp, he gives one last bow to his companion before mounting and heading west.

Days blur together as he follows the trails and roads further and further from home. As the terrain starts to steepen, and the forests grow ever-thicker, a kind of knowing fills his chest.

He’s close.

Riding alongside a river, Itachi has to do a double-take. Dark eyes go wide, watching as bodies of oxen and people are washed downstream. Did the rain the previous night cause a landslide somewhere?! But then -!

Perking up, he dismounts, making his way to the bank where a body is caught. Holding a palm over the man’s mouth, he can feel breath. Carefully, he hauls the stranger from the water, placing him further up the bank before finding another. Checking the men’s wounds, he notices his elk’s cautious gaze across the river.

…is there someone else…?

Carefully treading over rocky outcroppings, Itachi keeps his face covered, peering through washed up debris along the river’s edge.

What he sees shocks him to stillness.

Laid along the opposite bank is a glittering silver creature. And from the trees emerge two more, far smaller and looking to the first with concern as it rises.

…those…those are _dragons_ …! Then surely he must be near the forest spirit’s dwelling if kami like this are here!

Too lost in thought, he almost misses one final detail.

They aren’t alone.

Along one of the younger beast’s back is a woman. Dismounting, she runs to the elder dragon, gentle hands looking to a wound in her chest. Without hesitation, she begins sucking and spitting blood, attempting to clear it.

Staring, Itachi tenses as the god turns to face him, lips lifting in a snarl.

Attention brought, the woman does the same.

Blood is smeared across the pale skin of her face, silver eyes flashing like mirrors. Wild waves of white hair flow down her back, a strange mask and furred cape beneath them. Her outfit is exceedingly primitive.

The pair lock eyes, and Itachi finds himself frozen. What should he…?

Turning to face him fully, she spits the last of the blood from her mouth, watching him warily with furrowed brows.

Making up his mind, Itachi climbs to the height of the debris, pulling the cloth from his face. “O-kami-sama! I am Uchiha Itachi, from lands far to the east! Are you gods of the forest ruled by the forest spirit?”

The trio of kami stare alongside their human companion, the younger pair tensed as though ready to fight. Silence rings as each side seems to size one another up.

But then the mother turns, lifting herself to her feet and beginning to limp back into the treeline. Making to follow, her children keep wary eyes at their corners to watch him as the woman leaps astride one.

“…you should go back from whence you came,” is all she offers, letting her mount carry her into the trees where they disappear into the shadows.

Heart in his throat, Itachi watches them go before turning as a voice cries out.

Back where he left the two men, one attempts to scramble back, panicked and wide-eyed. Beside him sits a kodama, head tilted curiously at him.

Sighing lightly, Itachi approaches, offering, “You should keep still - your injuries are grave. There’s no need to be afraid - this little one is a tree spirit. They reside in healthy forests.”

“But…but they’ll bring their master to us!”

“Master…?” Itachi’s brows furrow. “…the dragons?”

“No, there’s a strange beast in these woods! It’s a deer, but some say it has a face of a man! And it - ah! Look! More of them!”

All around them, several more kodama reveal themselves, watching the humans.

“…if my mount isn’t afraid, _we_ have nothing to fear. These spirits are harmless…so long as you treat them with respect.” Moving to approach one of the kodama, Itachi softly asks, “Please spirits, we mean you no harm - may we be granted passage through your woods?”

Clearly shy, the spirit slowly vanishes.

Hauling the conscious man atop his elk and doing his best to splint his injuries, Itachi takes the other on his back and just…starts to walk. A trail cuts through the trees, and several of the kodama seem to lead them down it. All around them in the treetops and branches, more of the tiny kami rattle and wriggle.

Clearly unnerved, the stranger offers, “You know, rumor has it that no human has ever come out of these woods alive, young man! Really, we should go back - there’s a road along the other side of the river!”

“The rains have made the current too strong…we’ll never make it across. And if we don’t get this man back soon, he won’t make it. A direct route is wiser. We’ll be fine.”

All the while, the parade of kodama keep their pace, all ending up at the biggest tree Itachi has ever seen. _That must be the root of the forest…no wonder they gather here. It must be their birthplace._

Making their way past the thick trunk, the troupe emerges into a marsh. Clear water lies unmoving among the moss-covered trees, the air quiet and still. Sunlight dapples through the leaves to the plush undergrowth below.

Immediately Itachi has a feeling of knowing: this is a place beyond the mortal.

Watching warily, he eventually notices other tracks. Most are like those of a large bird or reptile…and among them, some like his own, only smaller.

The dragons and the woman came through here…it might even be where they live.

“Are…are we lost, young man? This place feels unwelcoming to humans…!”

“No, I think we’re safe…we’ll rest here a bit. You both need water…” Easing the man from his back onto one of the soft islands, Itachi fetches his bowl, rinsing it in the waters before going to drink.

…but then he sees it.

Another track, this one covered in shimmering butterflies. A strange, three-toed imprint, the likes of which he’s never seen before.

Dark brows furrow just a hair. What could have made these? And given their depth…it must have been recent. Scanning over the marsh, he stills as a herd of deer pass between two trunks, far in the distance. And among them…is a buck with antlers so branched and twisted, Itachi can hardly recognize them.

And yet, a feeling creeps into his bones. That…is it the -?

Before he can think, a painful spasm rocks through his cursed arm. The muscles quiver and writhe under his skin, as though reacting to the creature’s presence…!

Behind him, the injured man tenses. “S-sir? What’s going on? Are you all right?!”

Struggling to control his limb, Itachi holds it tight to his chest before plunging it into the water. The shock of cold slowly urges the reaction to a dull pulse, gooseflesh rising under his sleeve as sweat coats his brow.

Staring all the while…the creature then disappears. And with it, the last trace of reaction.

Releasing a breath he hadn’t noticed he was holding, Itachi sits back on his haunches, struggling to breathe. Once his lungs calm, he takes water back to the strangers.

“…are…are you well, sir? You went pale as a ghost for a moment there!”

“I’m fine…” Sitting up the second man, Itachi guides the bowl to his lips before looking to the one atop his elk. “…tell me, did you notice anything there, in the distance?”

“Er…what?”

“…nevermind.” Easing his companion back down, Itachi assures him, “Hold on - we’re nearly through.”

Clearly deranged with exhaustion and pain, he can only mumble, “M’lady…I…failed you…”

Brow furrowing, Itachi lets him rest before turning to look back out over the marsh.

_Whatever it was…it’s gone._

_For now._

As they pack back up, Itachi can’t help but notice…he feels stronger…? Suddenly the man on his back feels light as a feather. Behind him, the stranger wonders at the lessening of his pain. _…perhaps those waters were blessed. Hopefully it will be enough to see us back to…wherever it is we’re going._

A scant hour later, light begins filtering thicker through the trees, until the troupe makes its way out into open air. “Oh…we made it! Sir, look - you were right! Home is just on the horizon!”

Eyes wide, Itachi gapes.

It’s like…a fortress…!

Along the edge of a lake, a bank is stripped of trees, their trunks instead sharpened and buried to form an imposing field of spikes. And from more of the trees is a thick, tall wall around a smokey, barren village. At the very center is a strange, pyramid-like structure, from which great plumes of black smoke belch.

And at one end, walking through a gate, is the rest of the men’s caravan: battered humans and oxen finally making it back to safety after their trek through the peaks.

Itachi can’t help a mixed feeling of both horror and awe.

The empty land stretches up from the lake, men working the soil with water and tools. Like a great ugly scar, the turned and stripped soil is a strip of muddy brown and red along the edge of the green yet untouched. It’s a formidable sight…but also one that brings a somber melancholy to his chest.

“What…is this place…?”

“It’s Tsunade-sama’s Iron Town! We work the land here to harvest and shape iron!”

Leading the way down to the bank, Itachi warily watches a few men with shored boats as his companion calls a greeting. They go pale at the sight of them.

Seems the stranger was right. No one’s made it through the woods…and the fact that they’ve done so is quite the shock.

After a brief explanation, they’re allowed onto one of the boats to ferry them across to the island. As his elk swims alongside, Itachi gazes up at Iron Town warily. So…they craft iron here.

He wonders if they were the ones who made the ball that weighs heavy in his pocket.

Word spreads of their arrival like buzz through a bees’ nest. By the time they land, a great crowd rushes to meet them, everyone clamoring in excitement at the two lives spared, and asking about others.

“I’m sorry,” one of the men murmurs, “But…we were the only ones to make it.”

As the townsmen make to carry the injured, Itachi abandons the boat, moving to stand beside his mount. Yelling his praises, the other howls in pain as he’s lifted from the bow.

Then, from near the gate, a man calls out for them to stop. Marching down with a small band of soldiers behind him, he squints at Itachi suspiciously.

Itachi simple stares back, cloth drawn across his face.

“…as happy as I am to see my men brought back to me…something doesn’t feel right about all of this,” he growls, brow furrowed and lip curled. “You’re telling me that you - with two injured men - made it back here almost as quickly as the rest of our caravan? And not only that, but through the woods where the gods dwell? You really expect me to to believe that -!”

He’s cut off as a woman flies down the slope, coming to stop beside one of the injured. Puffing up, she begins lecturing him about losing his job now that he’s hurt, his stuttered rebukes ignored. When she rallies on the head of the guard, even he seems to back down to her temper.

Turning to Itachi, she then finally softens. “…listen, stranger…my husband may be an idiot, but I’m relieved he’s alive, and home where he belongs.”

Smiling beneath his mask, Itachi gives a soft chuckle. “I’m heartened to hear it. For a moment, I thought he would have been better off left by that river.”

Eyes widening, she then gives a hearty laugh.

Above them, another voice then sounds.

Everyone looks up to see a woman of blonde hair and amber eyes staring down at them. “…bring the stranger to me later. I wish to thank him personally.” Looking to her men, she then apologizes, listening as his wife insists it’s not necessary. “…I was the one leading the caravan, and tasked with defending it. This was all my fault.”

“Well, if it hadn’t been for you, everyone would have been snapped up by those dragons, and we’d all have to find new husbands!”

The gaggle of women behind their apparent leader laugh, and her lips quirk. “…rest for now, stranger. We will speak again this evening.”

Addressed specifically, Itachi respectfully bares his face before bowing.

Let inside, he is given a brief tour of the village they go through. There’s no true homes to speak of - just barracks where the men and women sleep. Ration tents and feeding halls line the streets, oxen housed and fed within the safety of the fortress’ walls. As full of people it may be, Itachi can’t help but feel this place isn’t truly one to live…just to stay as they work. He’s sure most must be trying to save up their fortunes in order to eventually find a way to leave, and start lives of their own.

…he wonders if such a thing is even possible.

Led to one of the men’s bunkhouses, he’s fed alongside them, his elk given cattle feed in one of the barns. To his embarrassment, women gather at the windows and door to stare and whisper, wondering at his appearance.

“Is this any way to act when we lost so many of our men so recently?” one man calls out.

“No harm in looking!”

“Or appreciating!”

“Stranger, you should come to _our_ quarters,” another woman offers, grinning slyly. “You shouldn’t have to stay here in the _barn_ -”

“All right, that’s enough! How dare you be so disrespectful! We risked our lives, and many were lost, to bring you that rice you’re eating!” another man cuts in.

“And who made the iron that _paid_ for that rice?” a woman counters.

 _So, the women forge the iron…?_ Curiosity peaked, Itachi smiles. “If it’s no trouble, I’d be happy to see where you work, ladies.”

At once, they’re all atwitter again, wishing him well and not to forget.

Opposite him, one of the men scoffs. “Tch, spoiled-rotten women…Tsunade treats them far too kindly…”

“Well, doesn’t the saying go, ‘happy women make a happy village’?”

Immediately, several men laugh. “Oh, please - these women are all prior whores. Tsunade buys up the contract of as many brothel women as she can find to work her bellows!”

“She’s just kind, that’s all,” one man pipes up, quickly talked down.

“I’ll tell you what, she sure changed things around here when she showed up…not even afraid of the gods! She even managed to slay Nago!”

“Nago…?” Itachi questions, gut fluttering with knowing.

“Yeah! He was a _huge_ boar god, but Tsunade-sama took care of him with her rifles!”

The other men nod. “We want to expand our hunt for iron, but the forest creatures wouldn’t let us! They hated that we had to cut down the trees to get to the ore. The boars, especially. We were stuck with no work until she showed up and cleared them out!”

Listening as the story is told, Itachi feels a creeping pain along his arm, hand grasping the limb as it aches. Glaring at the fire, his lack of reaction slowly lessens the men’s enthusiasm.

“…are you all right?”

He grits his teeth, not wanting to be impolite. “…I just wonder what became of the boar…if he died in great pain, seething with rage…”

Once finished eating, he’s escorted to see Tsunade, still working to finish a delivery of iron. Looking to him with a mix of curiosity and wariness, she admits, “Some of the people here are convinced you’re a spy for the gods, given your path through the forest. Others think you work for the samurai lord looking to conquer my town. You’d be amazed how many people want to take this iron…but let me ask you directly: why _are_ you here?”

Rather than words, Itachi simply slips off his top, baring his arm and the swelling mark. In his hand, he offers the iron ball. “…something tells me you’ll know what this is. It was buried in the body of a boar god…and when I fought him to protect my people, I was cursed. This mark is its seal. Soon enough…it will kill me.”

“…and where do you hail from?”

“…somewhere far from here. I can tell you nothing else.”

Puffing up angrily, her guard demands an answer, but she lifts a hand. “…but what are you _looking_ for?”

“…to see with eyes unclouded by hate.”

“Eyes unclouded…?” Mirthful laughter bubbles up her throat. “I believe I understand…come, I have something to show you.”

“…my lady?” her guard asks, only to be tasked to remain behind and work in her stead.

Through the village she leads him, to a walled-off corner. “This is my garden…no one else dares enter.” Within, she shows him a crowd of people, most covered in white bandages. One offers her some contraption, the lot of them discussing it until Tsunade shows it to him. “…these people design and build my rifles. With them, we’ll eliminate the forest monsters, and any samurai who dare attack my walls.”

Itachi’s face slackens…then hardens in temper. “…first you slay the boar god…now you look to build deadlier weapons? You’re only going to make things worse!”

“I’m sorry about your fate, Itachi…really, I am. That stupid beast…it was me he should have cursed, not you…”

At her words, the twisting in his muscles returns, and before he can blink, Itachi finds himself half-drawing his weapon, only barely managing to keep it sheathed. The lepers all panic, but Tsunade remains.

“…does that arm of yours wish to kill me, Itachi?”

“…if it would break the curse, I’d let it tear you apart…but even that wouldn’t be the end, would it?”

“No…it would need a great many more lives to feel at peace.”

Outside, she demonstrates the rifle, shooting at apes looking to plant new trees. Lamenting their efforts, she asks Itachi to join her in killing the forest spirit.

“Are you mad…?”

“Without the god, the animals here would become mindless beasts…with the forest cleared, this land would be the richest in the world. And mononoke-hime will become human once more…”

The name, though unheard until now, brightens him. “…mononoke-hime…?” Is that -?

“A girl claimed by the forest gods, stolen away by the dragons. She gave up her humanity and now she lives to kill me.” After a pause, she gives him a sidelong glance. “…they say the blood of the forest spirit can cure anything…maybe even my poor lepers…maybe even you, Itachi.”

Temper flared…he just takes his leave. He promised to see the bellows, after all…and he needs something else to clear his mind. “…mind if I join you, ladies?”

They all stiffen in shock, but let him in. Giving it a few deep pushes of his foot, he earns a laugh from the women.

“You’ll never keep that pace!”

“Hard work, isn’t it…?”

“Mhm…and we takes shifts of four days.”

“A hard life…”

“Mm, maybe…but better than working the city brothels.”

“Yeah! Here we can eat as much as we want, and men leave us alone!”

“Unless we _want_ them to bother us,” they laugh.

Staying and chatting a while longer, Itachi then excuses himself, admitting of his plans to leave the following morning. The ladies protest, but he only offers, “There’s someone I have to find in those woods.”

Then, like a shock to his spine, a knowing straightens his back, looking toward the wall.

“…she’s here…”

A moment later, alarms begin to sound, shots firing from the wall. Trying to weave his way toward the ruckus, Itachi stiffens as he spots her running along a rooftop, mask drawn over her face and dropping as a shot crashes just behind her heels. Lightning fast, she whips a crude stone blade at him, forcing him to block with his own weapon.

“Wait - I’m not your enemy! Just -!”

Leaping back, she gives a last warning slash before dodging more men and taking back to the rooftops.

Teeth grit, he follows as the people warn of her target: Tsunade.

Up the forge she climbs, using the height to scan over the entire village. Below, Tsunade arms some of her women, calling out taunts to try to bring her down.

Struggling to catch up, Itachi tries to intervene. All around, more rifles are pointed from the rooftops and wall. Realizing it’s a trap, he tries to call out a warning. “Don’t do this, mononoke-hime! Go back to your forest! Leave this place!”

Ignoring him, she perches a moment longer. In the distance, a roar sounds over the valley. With that, she tenses before sprinting down the forge, blade drawn.

Shots then ring out, several tearing into the forge roof. One lands at her feet, throwing her askew as she rolls down the tiles to the street below.

Equally bombarded, Itachi watches as the women aim their rifles. The girl stands, and then a shot ricochets off her mask, which shatters as she crumples, unconscious.

The villagers cheer, making to storm her body.

Temper flares in Itachi’s veins. Reaching to a loosened beam from the barrage, he tears it off before throwing it between the so-called princess and the rest of the village. It lands dead-center in a sconce, sending fire and coals scattering to give him time to reach her. “Wake up…!”

Jostled for a moment, white-fringed silvers then snap open, slicing at him with a feral cry. Cheek nicked, he stumbles back as she charges past, making a beeline for Tsunade. Leaping over her guards, she reaches the town leader and begins to duel as the villagers encircle them.

Watching, Itachi’s anger is stoked once more, this time accompanied by a writhing of his arm and an ethereal wind. Knocking aside anyone in his path, he grabs the princess with his cursed arm, his other blocking Tsunade’s blade with his own.

“What are you doing…?”

“Lay down your arm - the girl is now mine.”

She grins, ambers shining with adrenaline. “I’m sure she’ll make a fine wife for you…!”

Turning to the crowd as the shadows over his arm flare, Itachi cries, “Look, everyone! This is what hatred looks like…! Soon, this curse will kill me…we have to stop the killing and anger _now_!”

“You know, you’re so worried about that arm of yours…let me just… _remove it!_ ” Swinging a second blade, Tsunade’s dodged and then stunned with an elbow to the gut. Next he does the same to the princess.

The villagers gasp.

“Someone come help her…!” he demands.

Once Tsunade is taken, he packs up the girl. “Now…I’m leaving, and she’s coming with me.”

“Oh no you don’t!” one woman cries, lifting her rifle. “No one treats m’lady so cruelly!”

Turning, Itachi simply stares.

“…if you take one step, I’ll…I’ll shoot!”

After a pause, he ignores her warning, turning and making for the gate.

Hold trembling, the woman hesitates before jumping at a cry behind her. Pulling the trigger, she fires.

The bullet runs him clean through the chest…but Itachi keeps walking.

The crowds quiet in shock.

Approaching the gate, Itachi demands it open, the guards resisting.

“Please,” one murmurs. “You have our thanks for saving our men…we don’t want to kill you.”

“I entered through this gate of my own free will…and now I will leave the same way.” Stepping up, he presses a hand to the shaved, shaped trees.

“Are you insane? It takes ten men to open that gate!”

Tensing, Itachi keeps up his pace. Shadows again flare over his arm, and with a creak, ever so slowly…it raises at his touch.

Blood pools beneath him, cries for his health ignored.

Beyond the gate, the twin dragons hiss, crouched as Itachi calls for their calm. “Your princess is safe! Wait there, and I will bring her!” Nodding to his elk, who passes first, Itachi turns to the villagers, giving a somber smile. “…thank you.” With that, he passes beneath the gate, letting it fall with an echoing thud.

Shocked silence follows in his wake.

Mounting his elk, Itachi keeps the unconscious girl at his front, struggling to stay awake himself. Blood…so much lost blood…a trail of it slithers down the elk’s rump before he slips from the saddle. Pain flares as he lands atop the road, the kami wasting no time in turning back to attack.

“No!”

At her word, they freeze. Struggling to dismount as the elk bucks, she eventually alights to the ground. “Leave him…he’s mine.”

Stepping up beside the pair of gods, she furrows her brow at the hole in his back. “…shot by his own kind…what a waste…” Seeing him twitch, she takes a knee at his side, mirror-like silvers flashing. “Why did you stop me…? Tell me while you live.”

Struggling to breathe, Itachi murmurs, “I didn’t…want them to kill you.”

“I’m not afraid of death…not if it gave me a chance to kill that devil-woman who kills the forest! You humans need to _leave_ …!”

“I knew…when I saw you…”

Her brow hardens. “And I don’t fear you, either! I should _kill you_ for getting in my way…!” Rolling him over, she takes his blade, holding the point to his throat. “…that woman is evil…and nothing will stop me from trying again to be rid of her! So long as she lives, these mountains aren’t safe…!”

“No…you must…live…”

“Silence!”

Dark eyes peel open to look at her. Anger colors her expression, fierce and untamed. So…this is how it ends, is it? He can make peace with that. “…beautiful…”

In a blink, her fury crumbles, staggering back in shock.

“What ails you, Ryū?” a dragon asks, curing around behind her with bared teeth. “Should I kill him…?”

Staring as he seems to blink in and out of consciousness, Ryū seems to battle with herself before nodding to her companions. “…go home. I’ll take care of the human.”

“And the elk…?”

“Yes…may we eat him?”

“No, I need him. Now go!”

The pair grumble before slinking away back up the mountainside.

Managing to calm the elk, Ryū brings him back alongside his rider, now fully lax. “…come. I need your help.

“We may save him yet.”

**Author's Note:**

> THE LAST DAY. I am both sad…and yet very relieved xD Technically I’ve been working on all these for like two weeks to stay ahead, and even now the last day is a lot later than the rest. BUT IT IS DONE.
> 
> Thiiis is Ryū and Ghost‘s Itachi crossed over into Studio Ghibli’s Mononoke-hime! Which I SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT OF EARLIER cuz this is actually a crossover I’ve wanted to do for AGES, but I was so burnt out I just…completely spaced it. I attempted two others before finally getting this to work. To be fair, it IS still rushed. Partly because this is the last day, and I’m….VERY burnt out, but also because writing out this whole movie would take DAYS. So we have just a small section of it, and even then a bit trimmed because…guh @~@
> 
> BUT, I hope you enjoy it nonetheless, Ghost. You’re one of the closest friends I’ve made during my almost 4 years on Tumblr, and I love ALL of the bonds between our muses. Thanks for putting up with my shenanigans, lol <3
> 
> Anyway…I guess that’s it! As much as I wanna take a four hour nap, I’ve got several irl things to do now, so uh…woo xD


End file.
